Document ES 2332006 T3 discloses an apparatus for positioning containers which in one of its embodiments comprises a conveyor device, a loading device, an intercalation wheel and a transfer wheel. The conveyor device has on its periphery a plurality of alignment compartments and auxiliary compartments rotating in a circular path, where each alignment compartment comprises a lower compartment section and an upper compartment section vertically aligned with one another, and where the auxiliary compartments are fixed to the conveyor device in intercalated positions between the lower compartment sections. Each of the lower and upper compartment sections and each auxiliary compartment are sized for housing a container upright on its base. The loading device is configured for taking containers from a receptacle where the containers are randomly scrambled and individually placing them upright on their bases in the lower and upper compartment sections of the alignment compartments. The intercalation wheel is configured and arranged for extracting containers from the upper compartment sections of the alignment compartments, dropping them to a lower level over the course of one turn of the intercalation wheel and placing them again in the auxiliary compartments. The transfer wheel is located on one side of the conveyor device opposite the intercalation wheel and is configured for extracting containers from the lower compartment sections and from the auxiliary compartments of the conveyor device and transferring them to the output conveyor.
For the purpose of obtaining relatively high productivity in apparatuses of this type the conveyor device is usually provided with a relatively large perimetric length for the purpose of housing the highest possible number of alignment compartments on its periphery, and accordingly the fact that the apparatus described in said patent document ES 2332006 T3 includes a plurality of auxiliary compartments intercalated between the lower compartment sections is a drawback since it makes it necessary to incorporate in the conveyor device the same number of auxiliary compartments as alignment compartments, which considerably increases manufacturing costs, as well as the weight and inertia of the conveyor device.
On the other hand, the fact that the intercalation wheel and the transfer wheel in the apparatus described in the mentioned patent document ES 2332006 T3 are located on opposite sides of the conveyor device is a drawback since this makes it necessary for a worker responsible for supervision tasks during operation of the apparatus to continuously go from one side of the apparatus to the other to supervise operation of the intercalation wheel and operation of the transfer wheel.